1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drawer locking and latching mechanisms for cabinets and the like. The invention has particular application to tool cabinets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of locking and latching arrangements for multi-drawer cabinets have heretofore been used. Prior tool cabinets are commonly provided with a lock bar along the rear cabinet wall which engages the rear ends of the drawers, the lock bar being actuated between locked and unlocked conditions by a key lock at the front of the cabinet for simultaneously locking and unlocking all of the drawers. Such tool cabinets are typically mounted on rollers so that they can be moved about on the floor or other support surface. During such movement the drawers may accidentally slide open when in their unlocked condition as a result of tipping of the cabinet, sudden stops or starts or inclination of the floor.
It is known in other types of cabinets, such as filing cabinets and the like, to provide separate locking and latching mechanisms so that, after the drawers are unlocked, they must be separately unlatched before they can be opened. Such cabinets commonly have individual latch mechanisms on each drawer for this purpose. This, of course, adds to the expense of manufacture of the drawer.
It is also known to provide a common latch for simultaneously latching and unlatching a plurality of drawers and a separate lock which locks and unlocks the latch mechanism rather than the drawers. This, however, would require a major modification of a tool cabinet which uses the standard arrangement of a vertically reciprocating lock bar locked by a key lock in the front of the cabinet.